Automatic telephone-directory.



J/ @YQ/@ No. 634,994. Y Patented ou. I7, |899.

.1.-. NEuENnoHFF.

AUTOMATIC TELEPHDNE DIRECTORY.

` (Application led May 25, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets--Shet` l.

.f/ Il f.

/& a@ l 5 /8 N0. 634,994. Patented UGL I7, |899.

J. B. NEUENRFF.

AUTOMATIC TELEPHUNE DIRECTORY.

(Application led May 25, 1899.)

2 ShQets-A-She'et 2,

(No Model.)

arten 1 Smarts Jol-LN n. NEUENDORFF, or SAN AN'ioNIo, TEXAS.

AUTUMATIC TELPHON E-DliRECTVRY.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,994, dated October "17, 1899 Application filed May 25, 1899. Serial No. 718,212. (No model.)

To all zuil/07111 it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. N EUENDORFF, a citizen of the United States,` residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Automatic Telephone-Directory, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in `automatic telephone-directories.

Theobject of the present invention is to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive directorydesigned for use at telephonestations and for analogous purposes and capable of being readily operated to display a series of subscribers names, so that the number of any one ot' them may be ascertained without the inconvenience and delayincident pending parts tional view. Fink to finding'the same when the names are arl ranged in hook form.

A further object of the invention is to enable the exposed names to be readily retu rned to their normal position after the desired in- 4formation has beenA obtained.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in 'the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

in the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of an a utoni atie telephone-di rectory constructed in accordance with this invention, a portion ol" the casing being broken away to show the gearing for returning their normal I position. vation of the same.

the sliding plates to Fig. 2 an end ele1 .iig 3 is a vertical sec- 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view illustrating the construction of the Ways of the casing. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the construction ot' the'locking device for holding the plates in their extended position. Fig. (i is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the plates and one of the vertically-movable spring-actuated carriers which returns the plate to its normal position. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line '7 i7 of Fig. l, the gearing being shown in elevation.

Like numerals of reference designate correin all the figures of the drawings.

'l designates a casing to be constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material and provided at opposite sides with vertical Ways 2, consisting of grooves formed by flanges or strips and receiving vertically-movable plates 3, adapted to be pulled down and withdrawn through the bottom of the casing to expose the major portion of its surface. The casing is open at the bottom, and the plates, which are designed to be equal in number with 'the letters of the alphabet, are provided wiili`depending tongues or extensions t, located at dierent points and designed to be provided vwith a letter, as clearly illustrated in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, to indicate thecharacter of the names on the plates. Theways 2 are extended beyond the lower edges voi the front 5 and back 6 of the casing "to enable the plates to be extended sufficiently to clear the tongues or extensions ai, so that none of the names on an 'extended plate will be concealed by the tongues or extensions of theother plates. Each of the verticallyemo'vable plates is provided at its,in-'

ner and outer transverse edges with :flanges 7, adapted to receive printed strips 8, of paper or othersuitable material, bearing the names of the subscribers, with their telephone-numbers, and these strips, which may be readily removed and replaced, are retained 'in `position by longitudinal springs 10, which have their terminals engaging the danges `7.

The lower portions of the Ways 2 are closed, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the aocompanying drawings, and the upperportions are provided with openings ll, through which extend projecting lugs 13, formed by the ter# minals of transverse bars lil, which are connected with the plates by arms l5. This construction provides an open frame or portion at the inner end of each of the plates, but, if desired, the entire plate may consist of a continuous piece of sheetl metal, as the openings i are for the purpose of lightening the construction and lessening the material employed therein. The plates are retained Within the casing by oppositely-disposed resilient catches 16, mounted on the transverse bars 14, and consisting of a substantially L-shaped piece of spring metal, having the other-arm sigmoid ally curved. The catches 16 engage opposite ribs 1 7,which are rounded, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, and the engaging portions of the catches present outer convex portions and-inner concave portions light pull in drawing the plates outward, and 'y they are' rengaged with the rib by the means hereinafter described for 4returning theplate's to their normal any suitable means. f

The projecting lugs 13, which extend lat-y erally'from thecasing, are locatedgahoveyor at the inside of the carriers18, iixed to rodsl 19 at the opposite sides ofthecasnmyas lclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of thefacconi'-,

panying drawings, and .the s aid ,canriers are.

provided. at their ends with inwardiyfex'tend-'ling lugs 20. The rods, which extend .longif tn'dinally ofv the casing, slide inopenings 2lofA stationary lower" bmckets' and inf-Stai 'tionary tubes 2,3, arrangedat the top of the casing and supported by upper brackets 24- -Vand 25.

beneath the openings 1l, andthe upperbrackel ets 2s, which are composedof twb sides' and' an outer connecting portion'-,.are provided. .-.With bearings'fbrlshafts. orA

gnidepulleys A27',- .The guide-pulleys 2 7;'

' 'zzontalorivertical postion,.aud although it is' 'lhe'lowerbrackets 22 are arranged spindles which are located atthe top of -the'.ca. sin:,.;,A are preferably. grooved at their per'pheries disposed belt-s [28, which may be constructed-"of-fme'talofany';

` Thebelts-havettheir' adjacent,upper/terminals. wound around .a`

so that vthey are and receive oppositeliyother-suitable material.

'drum 29 inthesamefdirection,

simultaneously: drawn inward. and outward,

and their outer terminals are secu-red to loops upper faces. of Ithe verti-..

30, arrangedatgthe' lecarriers 18.. .The belts l.have

their-vertical portionslyin'gbeycnd thefends of thefprojectinglnes513,-andany one of the vertically-movablegearriemfand when said lugs isfadapt'ed' 'fito engage the adacent .plate is drawn outward pifdownward the carriers 'The'dru-m 29. is1mou`nt ed ona shaft-30,

.v which carries a pinionv 31,1'and the latter meshes with a' 'gearewhcelf 32" o fa windingshaft 33, connected :wiithfthe gearwheel'by a clutch v34h-aud having 'oneeudfofa barrelthe shaft is providedwith -asuitable gripv or handle,.and by` rotating ,it thesprng-.may 4be wound upto any desired tension. vVlhen lthey plate'is drawn downward' or outward, 'the belts areunw'ound from'the drumagainst the action of the springyvhich'return-s the plate as soon as the latter is treeto'nnove.inwardor upward.

i' The lngitudinal rods are provided at points below thecnrriers 18 with shouldersdformed with depending yokes position within the casing.. The ribs 17, which are located Within the casing at the top thereof, may be constructed by `rnay' b'e employed .for Changes in .the feria-proportion, size, and

ythroutgrh the said openings,

' and a. locking other end is engaged by a coiled spring 3'8,

v which holds the catch in engagement with the rod. The catches are tripped -by a depressible frame 39, extending across the front and sides of the casing and arms 40 guided in perforations of the brackets 22. The pivoted catches are 41, whichstraddle t-he arms 40, and the springs are interposed be-4 tween'the brackets and the catches, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The brackets 22 are'pro'- vided at their front and rear ends with iiang'es V42, which have.y the said perforationsfor the sides or arms of the frame 39. The frame 39 lhaving its sides orV provided is provided at its center with a plate 44;,which is adapted to b er'eadily en gaged by the linger, whereby the catches are disengaged from the .rods to release the plates. s

"The casing maybe constructed of any de'- sired size, and its front isl designed to bear suitable advertising matter, and any number of plates may be employed.

' It'w'ill bessen that the devce-issrnple and :comparatively"inexpensive in construction,

`(that .the platesLwhichv are indexed, may be readily drawn outward "to exposeav set of 'v -names of 'su bscr-bers, andthat the plates-are automatically returned within the casingafterthedesiredi-information has been obtained.

The-device-is'adapted to'operate in a horibe readily apparent that it a. variety-of purposes. i

oi-ygiyet :it will- IOC -theminor details of cmhitruction within the scope of the appended claims 4may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacritos l cingfan'y of 'the .advantages-of this inven-v fing a'casing,ve'rtically-movable-plats mount- 'ed in thecasingfand adapted to bewithdrawn therefrom,fa springaactulated carrier arranged described compristo be engaged bythe plates and adapted to re- 'I turn the saine within the casing,and a locking device for engaging the carrier, substantially as described.

1 2. A device ot' the class described ctmipris` ing a casing, sliding plates mounted in the cas-' 'projecting lugs, andiv ing Vand provided with adapted ,Lobe drawn outward,-aspring-actuJ' ated carrier arranged inthe path of the lugs.

and adapted to return the plates wi-thinthe and meansf'or holding the' carrier casing',-

wlhen theplatesare drawn outward, substantial'ly lsdescribed.

l 125 A .device of the class described compris#l actuated. -carriertc permit the plates to re- 4 casing, rods guided on the casln" main 'in their extended position, substantially tions,

mounted on the drum and connected with thevo 'carriers and adapted` to return the' plates as described. i 4

4. A device of the class described comprising acasing,V sliding plates having projections or lugslongitudinally-moyable rods mounted on the casing', carriers fixed to-the rods and arranged to be engaged by the lugs or projections of the platesa spring forl actuating the rods, and means for engaging the rods,

whereby the plates are permitted to remain,

in their extended described. 5. A` device of theclass described comprisposition, substantially as ing a casing, sliding plates mounted within the casing and adapted` to lbe drawn outward and provided with lugs or projections,carriers arranged to be engaged by the lugs or projeca'spring-actuated drum, a pair of belts Within'the casing, and a locking device for `holding the spring-actuated carrier to permit the plates to remain in their extended position, substantiallyas described.

6. A device of the class described comprising a casing, sliding plates mounted therein and having projecting portions, carriers -ar-A ranged in the paths of the projecting portions, a centrally-arranged spring-actuated drum,

guide-pulleys 4located at opposite sides oi" the casing, a pair o f belts mounted on the l drum and extendingffrom opposite sides theref of and connected with the carriers, said belt' being arranged' ou the guide pulleys, and means for holding the 4cairiers 'to allow the plates to remain in their extended pos`itions substantially as described.

7. Adevice of the class described comprising a casing, sliding plates, rods mounted on the casing atopposite sides thereof, carriers fixed to the rods and arranged to engage the plates, aspringactuated drum, belts lwound around the drum and connected with the carriers, fastening'devices engaging the rods and adapted to 'hold the carriers to permit the plates toiremain in their extended position,` and a tripping device for releasing the catches, substantially as described. 8. Adevice of the class described comprising a casing, sliding plates mounted in the g, carriers mounted on the rods'and arranged to engage the plates to return the same within the casing, pivoted spring-actuated fastening devices engaging the rods for holding the `carriers to permit the plates to remain in their y extended position, and a tripping device having arms arranged to engage the fastenin gdevices, substantially as described.'

v 9.` A device of the classdescribed-comprisinga casing, sliding plates mounted in the casing and adapted to described.

In testimonyf that I claim the foregoing as be drawn outward, a car- I the plates are drawn outward and automatically-oper'ating c'a'tc'hes carried'by the plates rier adapted to return the plates Within theI `-casing, means for holding the carrier when and ,adapted to hold-the plates within the casing, substantially as described.

l0. A device of the class described comprising a casing, verticallyfmovable plates mounted within the casing andadapted to be with- .drawn therefrom, a horizontal rib mounted on the casin g at the top thereof,and upwardly extending resilient catches carried by the plates and arrangedto engage the rib automatically, 4whereby the plates are retained lwithin the casing, substantially as described.

11. A device of the class described comprising a casing provided with'ways and having openings, plates sliding in -the ways and prvided with lugs extending through the openings, upper and lower brackets mounted on the casing, guide-tubes supported by the upper brackets,

of the lower brackets, catches mounted on Ithe -lower brackets and engaging the rods', a spring-actuated drum,

guide-pulleys arranged at opposite sides of the casing, belts wound around the drum, ar-

and extended through the said openings to -form lugs,'carriers arranged to engage the beyond the vsame rods sliding in the guide-tubes 4and vin the openings lugs and adapted to return the plates within v the casin g, and catches'mounted on the transverse bars and arrangedto engage the casingto hold the'plates within the same, substantially as described..

13. A device ofthe class described compris- Y ing a casing xed ribs, vertically-movable plates mounted to slide in the casing and adapted to be with.

drawn therefrom, ,and the upwardly-extending resilient catches provided with'bends to receive the ribs and arranged toengage the whereby the plates are same automatically, retained within th casing, substantially as' my own I have hereto affixed my-signature in the presence of twof'witnesses.'

^ Y JOHN B. NEUENDORFF. Witnesses;M

SANTOS LEAL,`,J r., Jos. TUNSCHEID.

provided at opposite sides with 

